Daily Devotion For The Christmas Season by Zondervan Publishers Dec. 15- Dec. 22, 2009

Prophecy of Christ’s birth:

Born of a Woman ***

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored: the Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:26-33)

Prayer

We are reminded again, our Father, that “nothing is impossible with God.” One of the thrills of the Christmas season is the realization that our Lord’s birth was a miracle–He was born of a virgin. May this truth cause us to praise Your Name anew for Your great love with which You loved us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

***From “Daily Devotions for the Christmas Season” by Zondervan Publishers.

The Sin that Grew by Gene McGuire Wednesday, August 20, 2008

“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him (Jesus) to you?’ And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.” (Matthew 26:14,15)

COMMENT: This is just my opinion, but I don’t believe that Judas, when he decided to become an apostle and follow Jesus, said to himself: “One day I am going to make a “bundle” by turning in Jesus.” After he was chosen to be the treasurer, he probably started making small dishonest withdrawals which became bigger and bigger as time passed. In John 12 we find Judas scolding Mary for anointing the feet of Jesus with a pound of fragrant oil that could have been sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor. (John 12:5)

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He wasn’t worried about the poor, he was thinking about the big “cut” he could take from the pot. When we continue in sin with no restraints, the trespasses can go from small to gigantic. One area of failure can be transformed into another area of failure. Judas went from thief to traitor.

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SCRIPTURE STUDY: Song of Solomon 2:15, James 1:12,13 and 14, 1 Peter 5:8,9 and 2 Peter 2:9

WISE SAYING: THINGS OF THE FLESH, ESPECIALLY WICKED THINGS, CAN DESTROY YOU OVER A PERIOD OF TIME IF THEY CONTINUE TO RULE AND REIGN IN YOUR LIFE. (Creflo Dollar)

WISE SAYING: SOW A THOUGHT, REAP A HABIT, SOW A HABIT, REAP A LIFESTYLE, SOW A LIFESTYLE, REAP A DESTINY!

I Call Him Lord by Lynual & Kenneth Younce and Louie Blevins (Music Video) Monday, August 11, 2008